Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements and official support: post-launch reference

Modern Warfare 4 requires an SSD with 115 GB free, Windows 10 64-bit, 8 GB of RAM, and a graphics card around the Radeon RX 470, GeForce GTX 970/1060, or Intel Arc A580 level for minimum play. Activision’s recommended 90-FPS High multiplayer tier raises that to Windows 11, 16 GB of RAM, and an RX 6600 XT, RTX 3060 Ti, or Arc B580. Ray-traced 4K-upscaled play calls for 32 GB of RAM and an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti.

TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are mandatory on every tier. The game launched on PC on October 23, 2026 through Xbox on PC, Battle.net, and Steam. The requirements below are Activision’s launch specifications for desktop computers; laptop components with similar names may perform differently, and future updates can change storage needs.

What are the official Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements?

Activision publishes three desktop-PC targets: a minimum configuration for basic play, a recommended configuration aimed at 90 frames per second on High settings in multiplayer, and a ray-tracing configuration for 4K-upscaled play. All three require an SSD with 115 GB available, DirectX 12 compatibility, broadband internet, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot.

Target	Operating system	CPU	Memory	GPU	VRAM	Storage
Minimum	Windows 10 64-bit	AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600	8 GB	AMD Radeon RX 470, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970/1060, or Intel Arc A580	3 GB	SSD with 115 GB available
Recommended: 90-FPS multiplayer, High	Windows 11 64-bit	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-8700	16 GB	AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, or Intel Arc B580	8 GB	SSD with 115 GB available
Ray tracing: 4K upscaled	Windows 11 64-bit	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel Core i7-10700K	32 GB	AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti	16 GB	SSD with 115 GB available

These figures describe desktop parts. A laptop GPU or CPU carrying the same family name can have a different power limit, clock speed, memory configuration, or feature set, so the desktop comparison is not a guarantee for a notebook. Activision also warns that trial, beta, and Insider Windows builds may not be supported.

Can my PC run Modern Warfare 4 at the minimum setting?

For basic play, check every minimum requirement rather than matching only the graphics card. A system that misses the operating-system, memory, storage, or security requirement can fail even when its GPU appears fast enough.

Minimum hardware checklist

• Windows 10 64-bit or newer, with a standard supported release rather than a trial, beta, or Insider build.
• AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600, or a processor that meets the same supported class and includes AVX instructions.
• 8 GB of system RAM.
• Radeon RX 470, GeForce GTX 970 or GTX 1060, or Intel Arc A580 graphics, with at least 3 GB of video memory.
• An SSD with at least 115 GB free at installation time.
• DirectX 12 compatibility and a broadband internet connection.
• TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled in the system firmware.

The minimum list is a compatibility floor, not a promise of a particular frame rate, image-quality preset, or resolution. Older cards can also be limited by driver support, and a 3 GB specification does not make every 3 GB card equivalent to the models Activision names.

What PC do I need for 90 FPS on High settings?

Activision’s recommended tier is specifically framed around a 90-FPS target in multiplayer at the High preset. It uses Windows 11, doubles system memory to 16 GB, and moves to newer CPUs and GPUs with 8 GB of VRAM.

Recommended 90-FPS configuration

• Windows 11 64-bit.
• Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i7-8700 processor.
• 16 GB of RAM.
• RX 6600 XT, RTX 3060 Ti, or Arc B580 graphics card.
• 8 GB of video memory.
• SSD with 115 GB available, plus room for later mandatory updates.

The 90-FPS figure is Activision’s published target, not an independent benchmark or a guarantee for every map, mode, monitor, or background workload. Resolution, upscaling choice, ray-tracing settings, driver version, thermal limits, and the rest of the system can all change actual performance. If you are buying a graphics card specifically for this tier, an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6600 XT maps directly to the named recommendation, but verify your power supply, motherboard slot, case clearance, and display connection first.

What hardware is required for ray-traced 4K-upscaled play?

The highest official tier is intended for ray tracing with a 4K output produced through upscaling. It requires Windows 11, 32 GB of RAM, a Ryzen 7 3700X or Core i7-10700K class CPU, and a much newer GPU with 16 GB of VRAM.

Ray-tracing configuration

• Windows 11 64-bit.
• Ryzen 7 3700X or Core i7-10700K processor.
• 32 GB of system RAM.
• Radeon RX 9070 XT or GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics.
• 16 GB of video memory.
• SSD with 115 GB available, with additional free space reserved for updates.

This tier identifies the hardware Activision associates with the workload; it does not state a universal frame-rate target for ray-traced 4K-upscaled play. Upscaling reduces the internal render resolution, while ray tracing can affect different scenes and modes unevenly. Treat the listed parts as a starting point for that image-quality goal rather than a guarantee at a fixed frame rate.

Do I need Windows 11, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot?

You need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to play Modern Warfare 4, regardless of which graphics tier your computer meets. Windows 10 64-bit is accepted for the minimum configuration, while Activision specifies Windows 11 64-bit for both the 90-FPS High and ray-tracing tiers.

Check the requirements in Windows

1. Press Windows+R, enter tpm.msc, and confirm that a TPM is present and reports version 2.0. If Windows cannot find a compatible TPM, check your motherboard firmware for its firmware-based TPM option.
2. Press Windows+R, enter msinfo32, and find Secure Boot State. It should read On. The same window shows whether Windows is using UEFI mode.
3. Install a supported, fully updated Windows release. Avoid trial, beta, or Insider builds because Activision does not promise support for them.
4. Restart the game after changing firmware security settings. If Windows was installed in legacy BIOS mode, changing to UEFI or Secure Boot can require a careful boot-configuration change; back up important data and follow your motherboard maker’s instructions.

Intel Arc graphics cards have one additional requirement: Resizable BAR must be enabled. Without it, an Arc card may not satisfy the supported configuration even if its model and memory match the table.

How much SSD space does Modern Warfare 4 use?

The launch requirement is 115 GB of available space on an SSD. “Available” means free capacity at install time, not the drive’s advertised total size. A 120 GB drive can therefore be too cramped once Windows and other applications are counted.

Activision says mandatory updates may require more storage than the launch specification. A 1 TB internal SSD gives substantially more working room for the operating system, the game, patches, shader data, and other titles. Before buying one, confirm the interface supported by your motherboard, the physical form factor, and whether your power supply and case leave the required connectors and mounting space.

The SSD requirement is also a performance requirement: installing the game on slower storage does not turn an HDD into an officially supported configuration. Keep the game on an SSD and maintain free space for update staging rather than filling the drive to capacity.

Which rendering and display features does the PC version support?

The official PC feature list covers 4K, 1440p, 1080p, and ultrawide displays, along with more than 800 customization options spanning graphics, gameplay, input, and interface settings.

• AMD FSR Redstone.
• NVIDIA DLSS 4.5.
• Intel XeSS 3.
• Filmic SMAA T2X.
• Ray tracing in Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ.

These options let you trade internal resolution, anti-aliasing, sharpness, and lighting quality against frame rate. Your GPU vendor determines which upscaler is available, but the presence of an upscaler does not remove the need to meet the underlying CPU, RAM, VRAM, security, and SSD requirements.

Where did Modern Warfare 4 launch on PC?

The PC launch was October 23, 2026. You can install the game through Xbox on PC, Battle.net, or Steam. The wider release also covers PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2; PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are not supported.

Infinity Ward leads development and Beenox leads the PC work. The launch specifications are explicitly marked as subject to change, so a later season or major technology update can alter driver guidance, storage requirements, or supported configurations.

What launch problems is Activision tracking?

Activision’s October 23 known-issues tracker lists several live problems. They are service-side or game-side issues, not proof that a computer fails the published requirements.

• Multiplayer loadouts: some players cannot save loadout changes.
• Combat Record and Leaderboards: displayed statistics may be missing even though the game continues tracking them.
• Xbox on PC launch button: the button to start the game can be absent. Activision advises checking the Microsoft Store device limit and installing any missing content packs.
• DMZ Operator prestige: some Operators cannot be prestiged. Activision reports that some players have succeeded by equipping Rare weapons with only three attachment slots.

Because the tracker is updated as issues change, record the date and exact symptom before contacting support. A workaround that helps one account or mode may not resolve a separate installation or driver problem.

How should I troubleshoot crashes or freezes on PC?

Activision identifies launch crashes and public-Multiplayer crashes as common categories to investigate. Work through the checks below before treating a crash as a hardware-replacement problem.

1. Compare your complete system with the minimum table, including Windows edition, 8 GB of RAM, 3 GB of VRAM, DirectX 12, SSD space, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot.
2. Install the recommended driver for your graphics card and restart Windows. Do not assume that a newly released driver is automatically the correct one for every card.
3. Close background applications, overlays, recording tools, and input-remapping software. These programs can hook into the game and interfere with launch or rendering.
4. Confirm that Intel Arc systems have Resizable BAR enabled and that Windows still reports Secure Boot as On after firmware changes.
5. Verify that the SSD has enough free space for the game and an update. If the launcher reports missing content, use its repair or file-verification function before reinstalling.
6. If crashes continue in the same mode, use Activision’s PC crash-report route and include the crash time, platform, GPU driver version, Windows build, and whether the failure occurs at launch or during a match.

A clean launch after disabling an overlay points to a software conflict rather than proving the game needs a faster GPU. Re-enable background tools one at a time after stability returns so you can identify the conflicting program.

What should I check before upgrading a PC for Modern Warfare 4?

Use the tier that matches the way you actually intend to play, then check compatibility around the headline parts.

• For basic play: prioritize an SSD, 8 GB or more of RAM, a supported 3 GB GPU, and the security requirements.
• For 90-FPS High multiplayer: target 16 GB of RAM and an RX 6600 XT, RTX 3060 Ti, or Arc B580 class card, while moving to Windows 11.
• For ray-traced 4K-upscaled play: plan for 32 GB of RAM and an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti class GPU with 16 GB of VRAM.
• For any tier: verify CPU support for AVX, TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, DirectX 12, broadband internet, and at least 115 GB free on an SSD.
• For a laptop: check the exact manufacturer model and power limit. A mobile part with a familiar desktop-style name is not automatically equivalent to the desktop part in Activision’s table.

Activision’s published figures are the clearest compatibility reference at launch, but they are not a substitute for checking the rest of the machine. A balanced upgrade that fixes RAM, storage, and firmware settings can be more useful than replacing a GPU while leaving a full system drive or unsupported Windows build unchanged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are laptop RTX and RX graphics cards equivalent to the desktop models listed?

No. Activision’s table is for desktop PCs, and mobile versions can use different power limits, cooling, clock speeds, and memory configurations. Check the exact laptop model rather than assuming that a matching name delivers desktop-level performance.

Can a graphics card with exactly 3 GB of VRAM run the game?

Three gigabytes is the published minimum video-memory figure, but the card must also be a supported architecture comparable to the listed models and have compatible drivers. VRAM capacity alone does not establish that an unnamed card meets the requirement.

Will Modern Warfare 4’s requirements stay fixed after launch?

Not necessarily. Activision says the launch specifications can be updated, and mandatory patches may need additional storage. Recheck the current support article after major updates if your system is close to the minimum.

What should I do if Secure Boot turns off after a firmware update?

Use Windows’ msinfo32 tool to confirm the current Secure Boot State, then restore the setting in UEFI firmware if appropriate for your installation. If Windows was installed in legacy mode, changing boot mode can prevent startup, so follow your motherboard manufacturer’s recovery guidance before making the change.